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I've been on somewhat of a writing break the past few weeks. One thing I've been pondering is the inevitable shift from unpublished to soon-to-be-published writer. The first quakes apparent to me were on Goodreads. I'm no longer only using Goodreads to track and review books I read, but I HAVE A BOOK LISTED ON GOODREADS.
(Sorry for the All Caps but I still have to pinch myself).
So what does that mean? I don't post snarky, bordering-on-mean book reviews because that's not my style. Even the books I don't like or was disappointed by, I point out what I did like, why I had an issue, etc. But being an "author" I'm worried at what I post even more. I've heard some writers say they clear all their star ratings and reviews. Or they only review books they would give 5 stars.
You can't please everyone, and I do want to be a real person, but there's a shift when you're no longer "just a reader" (I don't like that label, because all of us are more than readers--we're real people). You can't as objectively review books when your part of the publishing wave. It all becomes ... complicated. I think I need to look at it differently, but still enjoy the community sites like Goodreads offers.
So, writers, how have you progressed through this transition? Or if you use book review sites or Goodreads, how do you feel about authors being present on those sites? Rules they should follow?
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Posts
I tend to not do reviews for just that reason.
ReplyDeleteI deleted my old Goodreads profile and started all over again. For the most part, I'll only write positive reviews now.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your upcoming release!
Hmmm good to know. You probably did this before GR merged personal and Author profiles. I may just go through my reviews and see if there's anything weird and remove it.
DeleteI believe in honesty and standing by one's opinions, and don't see a problem with continuing to review books as before. I always write mature, honest reviews, whether I liked a book, hated it, or was just meh. It would be pretty unprofessional and ridiculous for a published writer to just leave glowing reviews for every single book, as well as to trash certain books instead of writing constructive reviews explaining why they didn't work.
ReplyDeleteWhat you say makes sense, but often people do not!
DeleteI am benefiting so much just from wandering through all the IWSG posts today... thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteWell, I keep my social media profiles as separate as I can, because I'm not going to publish under my real name. So if and when I have a book up on Goodreads, my author page would be under my pen name. But I don't think there's a need to not give a one or two-star review to a book if you really feel that way.
ReplyDeletePen names can be tricky too. How much can you really keep those identities separate? I mean you CAN, but I would still be mindful of the reviews you're putting out there (not to say you wouldn't) in case that overlap is discovered. Someone with a really snarky alter ego can get found out and exposed. Again, not to say you would do that, but I've seen the flame wars on blogs and twitter and it gets ugly.
DeleteInteresting question... I've just started writing reviews on Goodreads (writing reviews has always been my least favorite kind of writing, it's HARD for me to do)... I haven't even started to think about how that might shift when (not if...because it IS going to happen someday) I get published. Good thing to think about.
ReplyDeleteOh, and CONGRATS!!
I think you can as objectively review books as an author as long as you are looking at the book. What difference does it make if you write your own books unless you're thinking as you read, "Well, I wouldn't have done it that way." But, then, just don't do that. Being an author should do two things for you:
ReplyDelete1. Yes, it can make you more critical of how a book is put together, which can cause you to have more negative reactions, but a dedicated reader should rise to that same level, anyway.
2. You should make you more appreciative of good writing when you find it.
It is not somehow suddenly wrong for you reveal your experience of a book just because you're an author. Or because you went from someone who was just writing to being published. Thinking that some big change happens on the day you become published is like expecting to wake up on your birthday feeling different than you did the day before.
I definitely don't feel any different with each leg of the publishing journey, so it's more a reminder for me that other people might even if I don't. I mean, I still have to clean the litter box and pay taxes like anybody. :)
DeleteA very well known, high traffic blogger in the romance writing community recently revealed that for several years now she has been writing under a pen name in a popular romance subgenre. This pen name has gotten some mainstream attention, and I *believe* a review on the bloggers own site by another staff reviewer. A lot of regular readers felt cheated to hear of this dual identity. In this specific case, the blog is very much geared as reviews for and by readers. When the head reviewer crossed that line into author territory, there is a shift. She isn't as objective now that she has her own stake in the industry.
Those circumstances are clearly very different from mine, and while I respect that she revealed this information and insists she took an ethical approach to her reviews and did not take publishing advantages for herself that she gained through her blog, the perception many see is just the opposite.
Man, I did not do a good job of reading over that first comment before I hit "publish" on it.
DeleteHmm... two things:
1. I don't thinking writing within a particular genre makes you less objective in that genre. I mean, with the assumption that you're writing in that genre because you like it, that amount of subjectivity already exists whether you decide to write some of your own stuff in that genre or not. So, for me, House on the Corner is very similar to the Dresden Files. In style, not content. [I didn't start reading Dresden until -after- I'd written House.] And I love the Dresden Files. If anything, the books probably get a rating boost from me because of that. But that's my reaction to the books, my objective subjective reaction. After all, a review is meant to be a subjective thing: "How did -you- like it?" "What was -your- experience of it?" When it's wrong is when you go into the thing having already decided to not like it because of some perceived competition with the author.
2. Hiding your identity is always going to be an issue. That makes people think you're up to no good whether you are or not.
I've heard a lot about whether it's ethical for authors to give books negative reviews. I've heard a lot say they won't review any book they wouldn't give less than x-amount of stars. And something about that bothers me a little. I don't think getting a negative review from another author is going to be that much worse than getting it from a non-author.
ReplyDeleteI try to abide by the adage "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." As writers, we know the blood, sweat, and tears that go into writing a book. I figure someone liked the book enough to publish it (even if it was the author).
ReplyDeleteBest wishes,
Diane IWSG #108
If your reviews are professional and honest, I think it's okay to review books and be an author. After all, most authors are readers. And I agree with Andrew, your review should be from the reader in you and not the author in you. Congrats on your upcoming books. =)
ReplyDeleteI really wish there wasn't a worry about writers reviewing books. I mean, we were readers first! Most of my book reviews are good, but then again, I'm ridiculously easy to please with books. I have a few low ones, but I point out that it was because the book wasn't for me and others may like it. That's how books are though, really. Not everyone's cup of tea.
ReplyDeleteIf we are writers, we are readers. That never changes.
ReplyDeleteHere's my link if you'd like to drop by :-)
Anna from Elements of Writing
I'm not published, but I already follow this principle. I know how devastating a negative review would be for me, so I tend to only highlight books that I really love on my blog and/or in reviews. If I don't like a book, I just don't say anything at all. The writing world is a very small place, and I never know when I might meet the author in person or real life.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your upcoming books!
Congratulations on your upcoming release!
ReplyDeleteI only review books I liked. If I didn't like a book and couldn't get into it, I don't review it. (Mostly because I didn't finish it.) So nothing lower than three stars from me.
Yes I think the rules are different for writers - both published and hope to be published. I found I was writing reviews as if I were critiquing a book, and decided to stop doing that because a review should be different than a critique. Now I focus on what I like about the book. I might say I didn't connect with the writing style or the characters or some such, but that's as far as I'll go that way anymore. Off to Goodreads to find your book!!!!
ReplyDelete